Ogle County plane crash leaves pilot dead
At around 9:36 a.m. on July 22, the Ogle County Sheriff’s 911 Center received a report of a plane crash near 2810 W. Illinois Route 64 in Mount Morris, not far from the Ogle County Airport, in a cornfield.
Responding deputies and emergency personnel arrived on scene and discovered a crop dusting aircraft fully engulfed in flames on the north side of the roadway. Fire crews from the Mount Morris Fire Protection District responded and quickly extinguished the fire. The pilot – the sole occupant of the aircraft – was located deceased within the wreckage shortly after the fire was brought under control.
On July 23, the Ogle County Coroner positively identified the deceased pilot as Alexander Leamon, age 23, of Lena.
One person that witnessed the crash recalls that, “It sounded like aluminum crumpling… like a can crumpling,” and that “There was no surviving that. I knew it…”
Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle notes that this is the third small plane crash in his 11-year career.
The crash investigation was turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) upon their arrival at the scene. The aircraft will remain at the scene until the federal investigation is complete.
During the crash, the aircraft struck multiple transmission lines belonging to ComEd, severely impacting electrical service in the area. A total of seven utility poles and several power lines were damaged, leading to significant outages on July 22 and the closure of Illinois Route 64 for some time.
Oregon Police, Mount Morris Fire Protection District, and Illinois State Police also responded to the scene.
Further information will be released as it becomes available.